Schema specification to improve  product consumability on installation, configuration, and/or un-installation activity

ABSTRACT

Provided are techniques for retrieving a universal schema specification file that defines a structure of a product specific data set, retrieving the product specific data set that defines a specific configuration for a version of a product, validating the product specific data set using the universal schema specification file, and using the validated product specific data set and a product specific installable to automatically install the version of the product with the specific configuration.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to a schema specification to improveproduct consumability on installation, configuration, and/orun-installation activity.

2. Description of the Related Art

With conventional techniques, installation, configuration, and/orun-installation of a specific product version (also referred to as aversion of a product) is time consuming and error prone.

Unfortunately, an end user (e.g., a customer) may go throughinstallation, configuration, and/or un-installation documents for anentire product (e.g., all versions of that product) even though the enduser requires only specific installation steps for the specific productversion to be installed on one of multiple supported operating systems.

Installation documents (e.g., installation guides) are often toocumbersome to understand. Thus, end users often miss the sequence ofinstallation, ensuring pre-requisites, checking hardware requirements,pre-installation and post-installation steps, etc. Finally, the end usermay end up with installation failure, even after spending a large amountof time on installation, and it is very difficult for the end user totrace the root cause of the installation failure.

This kind of installation failure makes the end users disappointed withproducts, and the end users are not likely to purchase the products thatare not consumable (e.g., not easy to use) on installation,configuration, and/or un-installation criteria.

End users are typically unaware of the latest installation issues andsolutions (i.e., resolutions) for these installation issues. Hence, theend users typically need to contact the product support team (i.e., enduser service) for the solutions. It is very difficult to provide thelatest information about installation issues and solutions ininstallation documents or in any other documents. It is also difficultto maintain these documents.

End users also face difficulty in figuring out what pre-requisitesoftware and/or hardware is compatible with a particular product versionthat the end users are planning to install.

If the specific installation, configuration, and/or un-installationinformation is not known to the end users, then it is more likely thatthe installation will fail, which in turn reduce the end users wantingto purchase the products, and this leads to a reduction in companyrevenue.

Thus, there is a need for a schema specification to improve productconsumability on installation, configuration, and/or un-installationactivity.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Provided are a method, computer program product, and system forretrieving a universal schema specification file that defines astructure of a product specific data set, retrieving the productspecific data set that defines a specific configuration for a version ofa product, validating the product specific data set using the universalschema specification file, and using the validated product specific dataset and a product specific installable to automatically install theversion of the product with the specific configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system architecture in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system architecture in accordance with certainalternative embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a system architecture in accordance with yet otheralternative embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates logic for creating product documents in accordancewith certain embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sample universal schema specification file inaccordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 5 is formed by FIGS. 5A, 5B,5C, 5D, and 5E.

FIG. 6 illustrates a portion of a sample product specific data set inaccordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 6 is formed by FIGS. 6A, 6B,6C, 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G, 6H, 6I, 6J, and 6K.

FIG. 7 illustrates a computer architecture that may be used inaccordance with certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings which form a part hereof and which illustrate severalembodiments of the invention. It is understood that other embodimentsmay be utilized and structural and operational changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention.

Embodiments provide a universal schema specification file and productspecific data sets. With embodiments, an installer uses a parser tovalidate the product specific data set against the universal schemaspecification file and makes use of the product specific data set toinstall, configure, and/or un-install a version of a productautomatically (i.e., with minimal or zero user intervention). Also, aproduct specific installable is used to automatically install theversion of the product version with minimal or zero user intervention. Aproduct specific installable may be described as code (e.g., *.exe or*.rpm file) for the product. In certain embodiments, minimal userintervention may be described as providing a Graphical User Interface(GUI) during installation, configuration and/or un-installation. The GUIprovides installation, configuration and/or un-installation options toallow the user to select custom installation, configuration and/orun-installation, rather than default installation, configuration and/orun-installation.

Also, with embodiments, the product specific data set may be used togenerate a product specific document, which is specific to version ofthe product with specific configurations, so that the end user can 1)install the product manually, bypassing automatic installation or 2)understand what exactly is happened during automatic installation.

In any case, a parser is used to validate the product specific data setagainst the universal schema specification file prior to generating theproduct specific document. In certain embodiments, a product referred toherein is a software product.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system architecture in accordance with certainembodiments. A computing device 100, a data store 150, and a computingdevice 140 are coupled to each other via a communication medium 190.

Each computing device 100, 140 includes an installer 110, a Web client120, and a product 130. The term “Web” is used herein to refer to theWorld Wide Web. The installer 110 includes a parser 112. In certainembodiments, the installer 110 has the parser 112 internally validatethe product specific data set 170 against the universal schemaspecification file 160. In certain embodiments, the installer 110 makesuse of the parser 112 during installation, configuration, andun-installation operations of versions of products automatically. Thecomputing device 100, 140 uses the Web client 120 for local and/orremote installation, configuration, and/or un-installation. For example,the computing device 100, 140 may use the Web client 120 to install,configure, and/or un-install a version of a product 130 on computingdevice 100, 140. Local installation, configuration, and/orun-installation is done by a computing device 100, 140 at that computingdevice 100, 140. Remote installation, configuration, and/orun-installation is done by one computing device 100, 140 at the othercomputing device 100, 140.

In certain alternative embodiments, the data store 150 may be directlycoupled to the computing device 100, 140 instead of being coupled viathe communication medium 190. The data store 150 is a repository forstoring a universal schema specification file 160, one or more productspecific data sets 170, one or more product specific installables 180,and one or more product specific documents. The computing devices 100,140 are linked to the data store 150 to enable the computer device 100,140 to install the version of the product 130 locally, without using aWeb client.

In certain embodiments, the parser 112 is an eXtensible Markup Language(XML) parser, which is part of the installer 110. The installer 110installs the specified version of the product 130 by making use of theproduct specific data sets 170 automatically with minimal or zero userintervention.

In certain embodiments, a product developer creates (e.g., writes) theparser 112 to get the information specific to the installation by makinguse of the product specific data set 170. In certain embodiments, adocument writer may customize the parser 112 to generate productspecific documents 185. The parser validates the product specific dataset 170 against the universal schema specification file 160 and outputsthe product specific document 185. The product specific document 185 iscreated for end users for manual installation or to understand theinstallation procedure carried out by the installer 110 automaticallyfor a specific version of the product 130 with a specific configuration.In certain embodiments, the product specific document 185 is a PortableDocument Format (PDF) document. In certain embodiments, the productspecific document 185 is a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document.

In certain embodiments, the schema 160 is in XML format. In certainembodiments, the universal schema specification file 160 is used to setthe standards for installation of versions of the product andconfiguration by providing a blueprint of how flows should take placeand what help can be given at which stage of installation. The universalschema specification file 160 enables successful installation,configuration, and/or un-installation of a version of the product ateach stage of processing, with minimal or no (i.e., zero) help and/orsupport from a product support team. The universal schema specificationfile 160 defines how the product specific data set 170 should describepre-requisites for installation, configuration and/or un-installation,pre-installation and post-installation configuration specific to aplatform and version based on dependent software, installation steps,checklists for installation, configuration, and/or un-installation.

Typically, installation documents are scattered in different locationsand different files. For example, a product 130 may store theinstallation document as a Portable Document Format (PDF) document,store a compatibility matrix in another location, store hardware and/orsoftware requirements in another document, store trouble shootinginformation in another document, etc. However, use of the universalschema specification file 160 with a product specific data set 170results in the product specific document 185, which may be described asstoring the installation and other (e.g., configuration andun-installation) documents into one common location. In addition,product specific data set 170 enables the installer 110 to understandpre/post installation, configuration, and un-installation requirements,which will enable the installer 100 to install the version of theproduct 130 automatically, with minimal or zero user intervention. Thus,in certain embodiments, the installer 110 can install, configure, and/orun-install the version of the product 130 automatically by making use ofthe product specific data set 170.

By using the universal schema specification file 160, embodimentsprovide solutions/workarounds on the latest issues reported oninstallation, configuration and/or un-installation, which may not bedocumented elsewhere. In certain embodiments, the solutions/workaroundson the latest issues may be updated in the product specific data set 170under a “Latest Issues” tag. For example, a development team may trackthe known/latest issues with workaround/solutions and update the productspecific data set 170 regularly to keep the end user in sync with suchinformation.

In certain embodiments, each product 130 has an associated productspecific data set 170. In certain embodiments, the product specific dataset 170 is an XML file that follows the schema specifications defined inthe universal schema specifications file 160. In certain embodiments, adeveloper creates the product specific data set 170 as per the universalschema specification file 160.

The generated product specific data set 170 includes the details ofsupported versions, the pre-requisite software and hardware needed bythe supported versions, the sequence of installation (e.g., for thepre-requisite software and/or hardware), the pre-installationconfiguration, the post-installation configuration, the installationverification steps, the known installation issues and solutions, thelatest installation issues and solutions, etc. Thus, the productspecific data set may be described as a quick, accurate, and up to dateinstallation, configuration, and/or un-installation document. Theproduct specific data set 170 may be described as encapsulating detailsof installation, configuration, and un-installation of a version of aproduct.

The computing device 140 includes a product 130 that is to be installed,configured and/or un-installed. In certain embodiments, the product 130is a software product.

In certain embodiments, the universal schema specification file 160 maybe maintained with minimal knowledge by, for example, a developer, andthe product specific data set 170 may be created with minimal effort.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system architecture in accordance with certainalternative embodiments. In the example of FIG. 2, there are threeproduct specific data sets 270 a, 270 b, and 270 c and there is the oneuniversal schema specification file 260. In FIG. 2, the parser 212retrieves the universal schema specification file and a product specificdata set 270 a, 270 b or 270 c and outputs a product specific document285. An application server 200 includes an installer 210, which includesa parser 212, for local and/or remote installation, configuration,and/or un-installation of a version of a product 230. The applicationserver 200 uses the parser 212 to validate the product specific datasets 270 a, 270 b, 270 c against the universal schema specification file260 and stores the data sets 270 a, 270 b, 270 c in the data store 250.In certain embodiments, the parser 212 may run in the backgroundcontinuously. The application server 200 installs the specific versionof the product by pulling the product specific installables 280 andproduct specific data sets 270 a, 270 b, 270 c from the data store 250onto a specified remote machine with the help of the installer 210.

The web client 290 may be used for local and/or remote installation. Incertain embodiments, the web client 290 requests the application server200 to install, configure, and/or un-install a version of the product230 on a remote machine by making use of the installer 210. The webclient 290 is used as a medium to request the application server 200 toautomatically install the specific version of the product 230, withoutusing the product specific document 285 for installation. Theapplication server 200 retrieves the files (e.g., one or more productspecific data sets 270 a, 270 b, 270 c, one or more product specificinstallables 280, etc.) from the data store 250 to fulfill the webclient 290 request. In certain embodiments, the application server 200and the data store 250 are co-located. In certain embodiments, the webclient 290 is a web page that provides a form to fill in the details ofinstallation for a specific version of the product 230 or a JAVA™applet.

In certain embodiments, the product specific document 285 is used formanual installation, and manual installation is carried out if theinstaller 110 does not support automatic installation due to unknownconstraints. The installer 110 is able to handle automatic installationusing the one or more product specific data sets 270 a, 270 b, 270 c.

FIG. 3 illustrates a system architecture in accordance with yet otheralternative embodiments. A computing device 300 is coupled to a datastore 350. The computing device 300 includes a document generator 310, aWeb client 320, and a product 330. The document generator 310 includes aparser 312. The document generator 310 generates one or more productspecific documents 340. The data store 350 is a repository for storing auniversal schema specification file 360, one or more product specificdata sets 370, and one or more product specific installables 380. Incertain embodiments, the product specific documents 340 are in PDFformat or HTML format. For example, a product specific document 340 maybe an installation document in PDF or HTML format for a specific productconfiguration. The product specific documents 340 may be generatedlocally or via the Web client 320. In certain embodiments, the productspecific documents 320 are generated regularly (e.g., daily) to keep endusers in sync with the latest updates.

FIG. 4 illustrates logic for creating the product specific document 185in accordance with certain embodiments. Control begins in block 400 withthe parser 112 retrieving the universal schema specification file 160.FIG. 5 illustrates a sample universal schema specification file 500,510, 520, 530, 540 in accordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 5 isformed by FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, and 5E. The line numbers in FIGS. 5A,5B, 5C, 5D, and 5E illustrate the order of the items and will be usedfor reference herein.

For example, in FIG. 5, the universal schema specification file 500,510, 520, 530, 540 includes a schema name (line number 2) and indicatesthat products (line number 6) are to be defined. The universal schemaspecification file 500, 510, 520, 530, 540 defines the followinginformation for a product (line number 9): a product name (line number12), a version identifier (line number 17), an Operating System (OS)name (line number 23), supported hardware (line number 26), apre-requisite (line number 28) (although any number of pre-requisitesmay be defined in a product specific data set 170), pre-configurationsettings (line number 78) for a local installation (line number 81) anda remote installation (line number 83) with installation steps (linenumber 88), post-configuration settings (line number 90) for a localinstallation (line number 93) and a remote installation (line number95), installation verification steps (line number 100), un-installationsteps (line number 102), fix pack install and un-install steps (linenumber 104), an un-install product (line number 122), known issues andsolutions (line number 134), latest issues and solutions (line number136), and latest information (line number 138).

For each pre-requisite (line number 28), the universal schemaspecification file 500, 510, 520, 530, 540 defines an install type (linenumber 31), and a product name (line number 34). For the pre-requisiteproduct name (line number 34), the universal schema specification file500, 510, 520, 530, 540 defines a version name (line number 42),pre-configuration settings (line number 44) for a local installation(line number 47) and a remote installation (line number 49),post-configuration settings (line number 54) for a local installation(line number 57) and a remote installation (line number 59), verifyinstall steps (line number 64), and related document links (line number66).

For each fix pack (line number 104), the universal schema specificationfile 500, 510, 520, 530, 540 defines a fix pack version name (linenumber 110), an install patch (line number 112), and an un-install patch(line number 114).

For each un-install product (line number 122), the universal schemaspecification file 500, 510, 520, 530, 540 defines pre-un-install steps(line number 125), a local server type (line number 127), and a remoteserver type (line number 129).

In block 402, the parser 112 retrieves a product specific data set 170.In certain embodiments, the parser 112 receives selection of aparticular product specific data set 170 from an end user. FIG. 6illustrates a portion of a sample product specific data set 600, 610,620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, 680, 685, 690 in accordance with certainembodiments. FIG. 6 is formed by FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G, 6H,6I, 6J, and 6K. The line numbers in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G,6H, 6I, 6J, and 6K illustrate the order of the items and will be usedfor reference herein.

In FIG. 6, the product specific data set 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650,660, 670, 680, 685, 690 references the name of the universal schemaspecification file 500, 510, 520, 530, 540 (FIG. 5) at line number 2(FIG. 6A). The product specific data set 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650,660, 670, 680, 685, 690 describes an Application Engine product (linenumber 6), version 4.0 (line number 8) with a WINDOWS™ 2003 operatingsystem. WINDOWS is a registered trademark or common law mark ofMicrosoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Examples of hardware requirements include identifying 2 Gigabytes (2 GB)of Random Access Memory (RAM), 20 GB hard disk, and a P4 processor. Thepre-requisites include an Application Server (starting at line number15), a database (starting at line number 116), a content engine(starting at line number 229), and a process engine (starting at linenumber 285). Following the definition of the pre-requisites, the productspecific data set 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, 680, 685, 690describes pre-configuration settings for a local installation and aremote installation (line numbers 337-342) with installation steps (linenumbers 344-346), post-configuration settings for a local installationand a remote installation (line numbers 348-353), installationverification steps (line numbers 355-356), un-installation steps (linenumbers 358-359), fix pack install and un-install steps (line numbers360-371), an un-install product (line numbers 373-380), known issues andsolutions (line numbers 382-383), latest issues and solutions (linenumbers 385-386), and latest information (line number 388-389).

Merely to enhance understanding, further details of the pre-requisite ofan Application Server (line number 15) will be discussed. TheApplication Server (line number 15) has the product name WEBSPHERE™software (line number 18), having version 6.0 (line number 21).WEBSPHERE is a registered trademark or common law mark of InternationalBusiness Machines (IBM) Corporation in the United States and/or othercountries. The product specific data set 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650,660, 670, 680, 685, 690 describes pre-configuration settings (linenumbers 22-27), post-configuration settings (line numbers 29-34), verifyinstall steps (line number 35), related document links (line number 37).The product specific data set 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670,680, 685, 690 also describes version 5.0 of the WEBSPHERE™ software(starting at line 43).

The products that are described as pre-requisites in the productspecific data set may be from different vendors (e.g., InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation and other companies).

In block 404, the parser 112 validates the product specific data set 170using the universal schema specification file 160 and generates theproduct specific document 185. In certain embodiments, if the parser 112determines that the product specific data set 170 cannot be validatedagainst the universal schema specification file 160, then, the productdata set 170 is not used to install, configure, or un-install theversion of the product and is not used to generate the product specificdocument 185.

In block 406, the installer 110 determines whether automaticinstallation is to occur. If so, processing continues to block 408,otherwise, processing continues to block 410. For example, if theinstaller 110 does not supporting automatic installation, then a usercan refer to the product specific document 185 to perform manualinstallation.

In block 408, the installer 110 installs, configures, and/or un-installsa version of the product using the product specific data set 170 and aproduct specific installable 180, with minimal or zero user intervention(i.e., automatically or without human intervention). Also, the user mayuse the product specific document 185 to better understand automaticinstallation, configuration, and/or un-installation of the version ofthe product 130.

In block 410, a user uses the product specific document 185 to install,configure, and/or un-install a version of the product 130 manually.Thus, a user may use the product specific document 185 as a guide tomanually install, configure, and/or un-install the version of theproduct 130. That is, the end user may manually install, configureand/or un-install the version of the product by following theinstructions (e.g., steps) in the product specific document 185.

A product 130 typically includes an installer component (e.g., in theform of a wizard or user interface) to assist a user with installationof the product. However, the installer component does not determinecompatibility between the product 130 to be installed and otherproducts. This problem is solved by using the product specific data set170, which describes the dependencies between products. The installer110 uses the internal parser 112 to understand how to proceed withinstallation. In certain embodiments, the parser 112 provides theproduct specific document 185 to the installer 110. With embodiments,the installer 110 uses the product specific document 185 to install,configure, and/or un-install the version of the product 130 with minimalor zero user intervention.

For example, the product specific document 185 may be a PDF documentthat contains installation information for a specific version of aproduct (e.g., a specific version of a product installation on Windows™Server 2003).

In certain embodiments, computing device 100, 140 generates a GraphicalUser Interface (GUI) (i.e., a JAVA™ applet or any other customized GUI)with specific product version installation, configuration, and/orun-installation details.

As an example, an Application Engine (AE) 4.0 product installation forthe WINDOWS™ 2003 operating system may have the followingpre-requisites:

  Application Server software -> WEBSPHERE ™ software -> WEBSPHERE ™ 6.1software SQL Server 2005 Process Engine software -> PE 4.0 softwareContent Engine software -> CE 4.0 software

In certain embodiments, if a compatible, needed product is notavailable, then, the installation does not complete. For example, if theCE 4.0 software were not available, the AE 4.0 software would not beinstalled. In certain embodiments, an error message is issued.

For example, the installation steps may indicate:

a) Create JAVA™ Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) data sources inWebSphere™ Application Server (WAS).

b) Create database for Content Engine (CE) software installation.

c) Run Structured Query Language (SQL) scripts to create storedprocedures.

JAVA is a registered trademark or common law mark of Sun Microsystems inthe United States and/or other countries. If the end user is aware ofhow to create JNDI data sources and creating databases for the ContentEngine software, then the end user does not have to look for detailedinformation outside of the product specific document 185.

With embodiments, if an end user would like to install a particularproduct version, execution of the product specific document 185 directsthe end user to go through the specific steps in the installationdocuments (or other documents) to install a product version. Withembodiments, the end user avoids going through unnecessary information,while installing the specific product version. Also, with embodiments,the end user can understand easily versions of other products arecompatible with the installation, what hardware and/or software isrequired specific to the installation, and what pre-installation andpost-installation steps are required. The end user is able tosuccessfully install the product version at each stage. For example, thestages for installation include successful installation ofpre-requisites, pre/post installation/configuration of product versions,and installation of the targeted product versions.

With embodiments, the end user is informed of the latest installationissues and solutions for the installation, configuration, and/orun-installation, and so the end user does not have to take the time tocontact the product support team for a solution. With embodiments, theend user does not miss the correct sequence of installation because theproduct specific document 185 guides the user through the correctsequence. Also, the end user is informed of up to date information aboutwhat kind configuration should be done at different stages ofinstallation. With embodiments, the end user makes use of installationcheck points (e.g., provided as verify installation steps) to make surethat installation, configuration, and/or un-installation steps are notmissed.

Embodiments allow the end user to understand the installation,configuration, and/or un-installation procedure without any difficulty.

By using the product specific document 185, the end user goes throughthe specific steps of installation rather than looking at entiredocuments, this will in turn improve the product consumability oninstallation, configuration, and/or un-installation front.

By using the universal schema specification file 160, the installation,configuration, and/or un-installation process is improved by keeping insync with installation processes across all the inter-related products.Hence, the end user is able to easily install any product versionsuccessfully with minimal effort.

Thus, embodiments provide a generic approach to representinginstallation, configuration, and un-installation data in the productspecific data set 170, which is easy to maintain throughout the productlife cycle for any changes and may be used efficiently by any installercomponent application for quick and error free installation,configuration, and un-installation.

The use of the product specific data set 170 that is unique to eachproduct keeps the product in sync with the latest data. For example, incertain embodiments, the product specific data set 170 is updatedregularly to keep in sync with the latest information related toinstallation, configuration, known issues, latest issues, etc. The useof the product specific data set 170 to represent data is especiallyuseful for complex products and product suites to improve productconsumability.

The product specific data set 170 may be enhanced to enable handlingremote activities (e.g., installing an application on a remoteapplication server, remote un-installations, fixpack installationsand/or un-installations, product version un-installations, rollback ofpatch installation of a product, other rollbacks, etc). The applicationserver may, once the remote activity is done, receive an acknowledgementto keep in sync of the completed action.

Embodiments may be used, for example, for middleware implementation,database optimization, application maintenance, and facilities hosting.

With embodiments, the product specific data set 170 may be provided tothe installer 110 as input to resolve the issues in installation of theproduct version. For example, for a complex product version installationhaving multiple dependent products, the installer component may providethe minimum possible solutions, while the product specific data set 170provides the remaining configuration/pre-installation data bymaintaining the standards per the universal schema specification file.In this manner, the end user is able to resolve the issues in theinstallation front, and the product specific data set 170 acts as asingle point of contact (i.e., combines installation and other datadocuments).

Thus, use of the universal schema specification file 160 and the productspecific data sets 170 provide installation, configuration, andun-installation guidance. Also, the universal schema specification file160 and the product specific data sets 170 provide verification bymaintaining the product related documents, installation steps, and thelatest issues in a generic manner. The universal schema specificationfile 160 and the product specific data sets 170 are input to a parser toeasily integrate with any kind of end user environment and resolve theissues in multiple dependent product installation.

Furthermore, embodiments provide a generic way to resolve the issues ininstallation in case of multiple dependent product installations for anyplatform and for any product (e.g., products and/or platforms fromdifferent companies).

Embodiments install, configure, and un-install a version of a productautomatically, with minimal or zero user intervention, using one or moreproduct specific data sets 170 as input. Embodiments also generate theproduct specific document 185 that may be used during manualinstallation of the version of the product.

Additional Embodiment Details

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, solid state memory, magnetic tape orany suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of thisdocument, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible mediumthat can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The code implementing the described operations may further beimplemented in hardware logic or circuitry (e.g., an integrated circuitchip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC), etc.

FIG. 7 illustrates a computer architecture 700 that may be used inaccordance with certain embodiments. Computing device 100, 140,application server 200, and/or web client 290 may implement computerarchitecture 700. The computer architecture 700 is suitable for storingand/or executing program code and includes at least one processor 702coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements 704 through a systembus 720. The memory elements 704 may include local memory employedduring actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cachememories which provide temporary storage of at least some program codein order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulkstorage during execution. The memory elements 704 include an operatingsystem 705 and one or more computer programs 706.

Input/Output (I/O) devices 712, 714 (including but not limited tokeyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) may be coupled to thesystem either directly or through intervening I/O controllers 710.

Network adapters 708 may also be coupled to the system to enable thedata processing system to become coupled to other data processingsystems or remote printers or storage devices through interveningprivate or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernet cards arejust a few of the currently available types of network adapters 708.

The computer architecture 700 may be coupled to storage 716 (e.g., anon-volatile storage area, such as magnetic disk drives, optical diskdrives, a tape drive, etc.). The storage 716 may comprise an internalstorage device or an attached or network accessible storage. Computerprograms 706 in storage 716 may be loaded into the memory elements 704and executed by a processor 702 in a manner known in the art.

The computer architecture 700 may include fewer components thanillustrated, additional components not illustrated herein, or somecombination of the components illustrated and additional components. Thecomputer architecture 700 may comprise any computing device known in theart, such as a mainframe, server, personal computer, workstation,laptop, handheld computer, telephony device, network appliance,virtualization device, storage controller, etc.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of embodiments of the present invention has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the preciseform disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the embodimentsbe limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto. The above specification, examples and data provide acomplete description of the manufacture and use of the composition ofthe embodiments. Since many embodiments may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the embodiments, the embodiments reside inthe claims hereinafter appended or any subsequently-filed claims, andtheir equivalents.

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: retrieving, using acomputer including a processor, a universal schema specification filethat defines a structure of a product specific data set; retrieving theproduct specific data set that defines a specific configuration for aversion of a product; validating the product specific data set using theuniversal schema specification file; and using the validated productspecific data set and a product specific installable to automaticallyinstall the version of the product with the specific configuration. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising: using the validated productspecific data set to automatically configure the version of the product.3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: using the validatedproduct specific data set to automatically un-install the version of theproduct.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal schemaspecification defines, for a product, a product name, a versionidentifier, an operating system name, supported hardware, and one ormore pre-requisite software products.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinthe universal schema specification defines for the productpre-configuration settings for a local installation and a remoteinstallation with installation steps and post-configuration settings forthe local installation and the remote installation, and installationverification steps.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the universalschema specification defines un-installation steps, fix pack install andun-install steps, and an un-install product.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the universal schema specification defines known issues andsolutions, latest issues and solutions, and latest information.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: generating a product specificdocument for use in manually installing, configuring, and un-installingthe version of the product.
 9. A system, comprising: hardware logicperforming operations, the operations comprising: retrieving a universalschema specification file that defines a structure of a product specificdata set; retrieving the product specific data set that defines aspecific configuration for a version of a product; validating theproduct specific data set using the universal schema specification file;and using the validated product specific data set and a product specificinstallable to automatically install the version of the product with thespecific configuration.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein theoperations further comprise: using the validated product specific dataset to automatically configure the version of the product.
 11. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: using thevalidated product specific data set to automatically un-install theversion of the product.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the universalschema specification defines, for a product, a product name, a versionidentifier, an operating system name, supported hardware, and one ormore pre-requisite software products.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the universal schema specification defines for the productpre-configuration settings for a local installation and a remoteinstallation with installation steps and post-configuration settings forthe local installation and the remote installation, and installationverification steps.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the universalschema specification defines un-installation steps, fix pack install andun-install steps, and an un-install product.
 15. The system of claim 9,wherein the universal schema specification defines known issues andsolutions, latest issues and solutions, and latest information.
 16. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: generating aproduct specific document for use in manually installing, configuring,and un-installing the version of the product.
 17. A computer programproduct comprising a computer readable storage medium including acomputer readable program, wherein the computer readable program whenexecuted by a processor on a computer causes the computer to: retrieve auniversal schema specification file that defines a structure of aproduct specific data set; retrieve the product specific data set thatdefines a specific configuration for a version of a product; validatethe product specific data set using the universal schema specificationfile; and use the validated product specific data set and a productspecific installable to automatically install the version of the productwith the specific configuration.
 18. The computer program product ofclaim 17, wherein the computer readable program when executed by theprocessor on the computer causes the computer to: use the validatedproduct specific data set to automatically configure the version of theproduct.
 19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein thecomputer readable program when executed by the processor on the computercauses the computer to: using the validated product specific data set toautomatically un-install the version of the product.
 20. The computerprogram product of claim 17, wherein the universal schema specificationdefines, for a product, a product name, a version identifier, anoperating system name, supported hardware, and one or more pre-requisitesoftware products.
 21. The computer program product of claim 20, whereinthe universal schema specification defines for the productpre-configuration settings for a local installation and a remoteinstallation with installation steps and post-configuration settings forthe local installation and the remote installation, and installationverification steps.
 22. The computer program product of claim 17,wherein the universal schema specification defines un-installationsteps, fix pack install and un-install steps, and an un-install product.23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the universalschema specification defines known issues and solutions, latest issuesand solutions, and latest information.
 24. The computer program productof claim 17, wherein the computer readable program when executed by theprocessor on the computer causes the computer to: generate a productspecific document for use in manually installing, configuring, andun-installing the version of the product.